Sunday, January 16, 2011

A Golden Opportunity Missed?

The bootleg series Welcome To The Jungle featuring the famous Jungle Room Session from 1976 has been critically acclaimed by both fans, fan club magazines and Elvis sites. It's easy to understand why.

So far three volumes have been released (as recorded at Graceland in February 1976), and a fourth one is on its way (including the October material). Each one contains about an hours worth of masters, alternate mixes and most important, outtakes, presented in the chronological way they were recorded.

Granted, not everyone likes to listen to take after take of songs such as "Love Coming Down" or "Never Again." But it's a great way to learn more about how Elvis approached his work during what was to become his last recording sessions.

When FTD released The Jungle Room Sessions back in 2000, it presented the 1976 recordings in a much more positive light than was the case with the original albums From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue. The Welcome To The Jungle releases puts the truth somewhere in-between.

Being able to listen to the sessions this way, it's clear that Elvis is committed at times, but also occasionally more unfocused than during earlier recording sessions. "She Thinks I Still Care" is a perfect example of the former, "Moody Blue" of the latter.

Maybe that's why Ernst Jorgensen and crew hasn't chosen to release another volume of what is one of the most popular FTD titles with the fans. If so, I have to agree with the Elvis The Man And His Music magazine who put it this way:

Sadly, FTD seemed to have missed an golden opportunity to offer a deluxe version of this former release, allowing others to fill this void.

But maybe it isn't too late. A lot of dialog seems to be missing on the Welcome To The Jungle albums, and they were released as individual CD's. Maybe FTD can fill that void with the box set Behind Closed Doors - the complete 1976 studio sessions?